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WLLUAMo 
COLLEGE 

DUPUCA 


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JOHN  MILLOTT  ELLIS. 


A  TRIBUTE 


TO  THE  MEMORY  OF 


JOHN  MILLOTT  ELLIS,  D.  Dv 


PROFESSOR    OF    PHILOSOPHY    IN 


OBERLIN  COLLEGE. 


From  the  Faculty  to  the  Alumni  of  the  College. 


OBERLIN,  OHIO: 

PEARCE  &  RANDOLPH,  PRINTERS. 
1894- 


MEMORIAL. 

LIFE    SKETCH. 

JOHN  MlLLOTT  ELLIS  was  born  on  the  2/th  of  March,  1831, 
on  the  hill-farm  of  his  father,  Seth  Brittain  Ellis,  situated  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Monadnock,  near  the  village  of  Jaffrey,  New 
Hampshire.  His  infancy  and  early  boyhood  were  spent  amid 
farm  scenes  and  activities.  Subsequently  the  home  was  changed 
for  a  time  to  the  village,  and  in  1840  the  family,  consisting  of 
parents,  four  sons,  and  five  daughters,  came  to  Oberlin,  where 
the  colony  and  College  were  in  the  first  stage  of  their  struggle 
for  existence.  Here  young  Ellis  entered  upon  mingled  work 
and  study.  From  the  first  the  aim  of  his  parents,  in  which  he 
fully  sympathized,  was  that  he  should  have  a  collegiate  educa- 
tion, and  whatever  effort  and  sacrifice  were  necessary  to  this  end 
were  cheerfully  contributed.  During  his  youth,  and  while  pre- 
paring for  college,  he  fulfilled  the  terms  of  a  virtual  apprentice- 
ship to  a  mechanical  trade  in  his  father's  planing  mill,  which 
was  long  a  landmark  of  earlier  Oberlin.  This  thorough  manual 
training  proved  of  the  greatest  advantage  in  his  subsequent  life, 
equipping  him  as  it  did  for  the  practical  service  in  connection 
with  the  planning  and  construction  of  college  buildings  and  the 
public  improvements  in  the  town,  which  service  so  conspicuously 
marked  his  busy  life. 

Entering  Oberlin  College  in  1847,  he  for  the  most  part 
supported  himself  during  his  collegiate  course  by  teaching  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  State  and  otherwise,  and  was  graduated 
in  1851  with  his  class  of  seventeen,  which  included  in  its  mem- 
bership General  J.  D.  Cox,  Charles  G.  Finney,  Jr.,  Colonel  Sam- 
uel F.  Cooper,  Rev.  Lorenzo  J.  White,  Professor  L.  F.  Parker, 
and  Professor  J.  A.  R.  Rogers.  For  some  months  following  his 
graduation  he  was  employed  as  teacher  in  the  Academy  at  La- 


peer,  Michigan.  From  1852  to  1855  he  was  Professor  of  Lan- 
guages in  Mississippi  College;  during  the  next  two  years  he 
pursued  his  theological  studies  at  Union  and  Oberlin  Theological 
Seminaries,  graduating  from  the  latter  with  the  class  of  1857. 
In  1858  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Greek  in  Oberlin  Col- 
lege, serving  in  that  capacity  until  1866,  when  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Chair  of  Mental  Philosophy  and  Rhetoric,  with 
work  also  for  several  years  in  Evidences  of  Christianity,  Polit- 
ical Economy,  and  English  Literature.  During  the  last  twelve 
years  his  work  of  instruction  was  confined  to  the  field  of  Philos- 
ophy. From  1867  to  1874,  in  addition  to  his  college  duties, 
he  was  associate  pastor  of  the  Second  Congregational  Church 
of  Oberlin,  and  during  the  entire  period  following  his  gradua- 
tion, he  preached  in  many  pulpits  in  his  own  and  other  States, 
and  was  an  influential  member  of  very  many  of  the  ecclesiastical 
conferences  and  conventions  in  Ohio  and  elsewhere. 

Professor  Ellis  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in 
1 865,  and  received  from  Oberlin  College  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity  in  1893,  being  the  first  one  upon  whom  that  degree  was 
ever  conferred  by  Oberlin.  His  versatility  of  talent  and  his  many- 
sided  ability  and  forcefulness  resulted  in  his  being  almost  as 
much  a  man  of  affairs  as  he  was  teacher  and  preacher.  While 
scrupulously  refraining  throughout  his  life  from  all  connection 
with  secular  business  in  his  own  interest,  he  was  ever  prominent 
and  serviceable  in  the  business  affairs  of  the  College,  and  was 
actively  interested  in  whatever  measures  tended  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  the  community  and  the  country.  During  the  civil 
war,  although  he  did  not  wear  the  military  uniform,  his  work  in 
behalf  of  the  Union  cause,  both  in  his  own  community  and  with 
the  soldier  at  the  front,  was  zealous,  continuous,  and  most  effi- 
cient. In  1861—62  he  served  a  term  as  Mayor  of  the  village,  and 
from  first  to  last  he  was  intelligently  identified  with  all  matters 
of  local  government  and  local  improvement.  In  1883  he  made 
an  extended  tour  of  central  and  southern  Europe,  and  while 
nominally  resting  from  overwork,  he  did  not  fail  to  bring  back 


to  the  College  valuable  fruits  of  his  careful  studies  in  other  lands. 
In  1891  he  was  appointed  by  the  United  States  Government  a 
commissioner  to  Europe  in  the  interest  of  the  World's  Columbian 
Exposition,  and  in  this  official  capacity  visited  the  capitals  and 
conferred  with  the  government  authorities  of  Great  Britain,  Ger- 
many, Denmark,  Sweden,  Norway,  and  Russia. 

On  August  28,  1862,  Professor  Ellis  was  married  to  Minerva 
E.  Tenney,  of  Oberlin,  who  survives  him,  together  with  his  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Remington,  of  Takoma  Park,  D.  C.,  and 
Miss  Josephine  M.  Ellis,  of  Oberlin,  and  the  four  sons,  Albert, 
Theodore,  John,  and  Luman.  His  decline  in  health  dated  from 
a  severe  attack  of  the  grip  in  1891,  while  his  fatal  illness,  ap- 
parently tuberculosis  of  the  lungs  with  involvement  of  the  heart, 
definitely  manifested  itself  about  the  first  of  Januaty  last,  when 
he  was  compelled  to  relinquish  his  work,  and  went  with  his  wife 
to  Redlan.ds  in  Southern  California.  There,  at  the  hospitable 
home  of  his  classmate  Colonel  S.  F.  Cooper,  and  in  the  con- 
stant care  and  companionship  of  his  wife,  he  spent  two  months 
in  perfect  rest  and  comfort,  enjoying  the  soft  air,  the  sunshine, 
and  the  cordial  greetings  and  affectionate  messages  of  friends, 
but  with  no  check  to  his  progressing  weakness.  On  the  2istof 
March  they  proceeded  to  Los  Angeles,  where  a  thorough  ex- 
amination by  a  specialist  resulted  in  finding  the  malady  to  be 
what  is  known  as  Addison's  disease — an  incurable  disease  which 
cannot  be  identified  until  it  has  reached  an  advanced  stage, 
when  its  presence  is  revealed  mainly  by  a  peculiar  bronzing  of 
the  skin.  The  case  being  obviously  beyond  cure  or  material  re- 
lief, it  was  the  sick  man's  own  wish  to  start  immediately  home- 
ward, although  frankly  informed  that  there  were  many  chances 
against  his  surviving  the  trip.  His  weakness  steadily  increased 
as  the  journey  progressed,  although  he  was  uniformly  comfort- 
able and  free  from  pain,  and  in  less  than  two  hours  after  reach- 
ing Chicago  he  died  in  the  invalids'  room  of  the  Santa  Fe 
terminal  station.  The  party,  consisting  of  Professor  and  Mrs.  El- 
lis and  their  nephew,  Bernard  F.  Tenney,  were  met  at  the  train 


by  John  T.  Ellis,  who  was  recognized  by  his  father  before  final 
unconsciousness  supervened.  Chicago  friends  kindly  aided  in 
arrangements  necessarily  following  the  sad  event,  and  on  the 
subsequent  arrival  at  Oberlin  the  station  was  thronged  by  a  mul- 
titude of  sympathizing  friends,  including  Faculty,  students,  and 
town  people. 

Such  is  a  colorless  outline  of  one  of  the  strongest  and  sweet- 
est lives  that  it  is  given  to  men  to  live.  Through  more  than 
thirty  years  of  close  fraternal  intercourse,  including  all  the  vicis- 
situdes and  exigencies  that  necessarily  come  with  the  middle 
period  of  active  lives,  my  regard  for  John  Ellis  and  my  admira- 
tion for  his  character  have  grown  and  deepened.  His  was  pecu- 
liarly a  well  rounded,  a  balanced  nature.  A  man  of  strong 
convictions  and  pronounced  opinions,  he  was  the  farthest  possi- 
ble remove  from  bigotry  or  fanaticism.  He  was  blessed  with  a 
strong  sense  of  the  humorous,  which  was  never  permitted  to 
pass  into  levity.  Profoundly  and  always  impressed  with  the  seri- 
ous and  even  solemn  aspects  of  the  life  that  he  was  living,  as 
well  as  of  that  upon  which  he  has  now  entered,  he  carried  with 
him  an  atmosphere  that  was  not  only  cheerful  but  joyous.  With 
almost  a  feminine  purity  of  thought  and  instinct,  he  combined 
a  stalwart  manliness  that  could  never  be  misunderstood.  To 
me,  at  least,  the  departure  of  such  a  spirit  gives  to  the  world 
almost  a  tinge  of  loneliness. 

A.  B.  NETTLETON. 

SERVICES   AT   THE    CHURCH. 

Tlie  funeral  services  were  held  in  the  Second  Church,  Sunday 
afternoon,  April  ist.  A  large' audience  filled  the  house  to  its 
utmost  capacity.  As  the  casketwas  slowly  borne  into  the  church, 
to  the  soft  and  solemn  organ  prelude,  the  congregation  arose 
and  stood  until  it  was  placed  in  position.  An  impressive  tribute 
of  flowers  from  friends  far  and  near,  spoke  eloquently  of  the  warm 


place  our  dear  friend  held  in  hearts  scattered  all  over  this  coun- 
try. 

After  the  opening  exercises,  consisting  of  an  anthem  by  the 
choir,  a  passage  of  Scripture  read  by  Professor  Churchill,  and 
prayer  by  Dr.  Tenney,  PROFESSOR  MONROE  spoke  substantially 
as  follows: — 

Professor  Ellis  had  a  judicial  mind,  and  was  capable  of 
looking  at  a  subject  upon  all  sides.  This  implied  that  he  was 
free  from  personal  feeling,  from  prejudice,  and  from  bias,  and 
made  his  judgment  of  great  value  to  us.  This  quality  revealed 
itself  in  all  the  relations  which  he  sustained.  It  was  appar- 
ent in  the  class-room  and  was  appreciated  by  his  pupils.  It  is 
safe  to  venture  the  statement  that  no  student  of  Professor  Ellis 
ever  complained  that  he  had  been  unfairly  treated.  He  marked 
fairly,  judged  fairly,  both  the  ability  and  the  character  of  his 
pupils,  and  was  quite  capable  of  looking  at  things  from  their 
standpoint.  He  respected  the  scholarship  and  good  qualities  of 
his  students.  None  of  them  ever  left  his  recitation  room  with- 
out a  sense  of  encouragement,  without  feeling  that  they  could 
do  something  in  the  world  with  the  powers  which  they  had. 
His  influence  was  always  encouraging,  never  depressing  to  those 
under  his  care.  He  taught  them  to  respect  their  own  powers 
and  to  be  hopeful  as  to  the  results  of  their  future  work. 

The  same  quality  showed  itself  in  Faculty  meetings.  His 
ability  to  look  upon  all  sides  of  subjects  and  of  characters  was 
there  exceedingly  useful.  Some  members  of  the  Faculty  used 
to  wait  until  Professor  Ellis  had  spoken,  when  a  question  was 
under  debate,  in  order  that  they  might  be  able  to  get  a  complete 
view  of  the  case,  and  make  up  their  own  minds  as  to  how  they 
would  vote.  He  had  left  a  vacancy  in  the  meetings  of  the  Fac- 
ulty which  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  fill. 

The  same  fair-mindedness  showed  itself  in  the  meetings  of 
the  Second  Church  and  in  the  management  of  its  business.  He 
was  there  also  relied  upon  for  counsel  and  advice.  His  judg- 
ment was  equally  valued  by  citizens  of  the  town,  as  shown  in 


meetings  of  the  Council,  in  public  meetings  and  in  private  con- 
sultation. It  was  not  uncommon,  when  difficult  questions  were 
under  consideration,  to  hear  citizens  say,  "-Let  us  see  Professor 
Ellis  and  talk  with  him  about  it."  A  neighbor  who  wished  to 
consult  him  was  always  made  welcome,  and  always  found  Pro- 
fessor Ellis  at  leisure  to  hear  the  case  and  give  his  judgment. 

In  former  years  he  had  invitations  to  leave  Oberlin  and  ac- 
cept positions  which  many  would  have  thought  more  desirable. 
He  never  entertained  these  invitations  any  further  than  to  con- 
sult with  his  brethren  as  to  whether  they  would  encourage  him 
to  leave.  But  as  he  never  got  any  such  encouragement  he  never 
left  us.  He  had  no  desire  to  separate  himself  from  the  work 
here.  He  was  wholly  devoted  to  Oberlin  and  its  service.  It 
was  said  that  he  became  a  kind  of  Oberlin  incarnate.  He  loved 
the  work  here  because  he  thought  it  the  best  means  of  making 
his  powers  useful  for  the  cause  of  Christ.  No  doubt  this  was 
the  way  to  make  a  great  school,  and  it  was  also  the  way  to  make 
a  great  man.  Here  Professor  Ellis  built  his  altar.  He  laid  him- 
self upon  it,  and  the  answer  came  by  fire  from  heaven.  To-day 
the  offering  has  been  consumed. 

This  spirit  showed  itself  in  other  relations,  but  time  would 
not  permit  that  they  should  be  mentioned.  To-day  we  all  have 
that  profound  sense  of  satisfaction  which  comes  from  feeling  that 
there  is  but  one  place,  one  home,  to  which  the  released  spirit 
can  have  gone.  There  was  but  one  Presence  in  which  a  pur- 
pose so  noble,  a  self-denial  so  complete,  a  consecration  so  per- 
fect, a  temper  so  candid  and  fair,  a  life  so  absolutely  devoted  to 
the  work  of  Christ — there  was  but  one  Presence  in  which  such 
a  spirit  could  be  found  and  could  be  at  home,  to  which  it  must 
be  drawn  by  its  proper  attractions;  and  that  was  the  presence  of 
his  Redeemer  and  his  Lord. 

PRESIDENT  BALLANTINE  spoke  of  the  moral  traits  of  Pro- 
fessor Ellis.  His  remarks  were  as  follows: — 

I  have  been  asked  to  speak  of  the  moral  traits  of  Pro- 
fessor Ellis.  And  this  is  easy  to  do.  Of  all  the  men  of  your 


II 


acquaintance,  you  have  known  none  more  thoroughly  than  you 
knew  John  Ellis.  His  character  was  so  transparent,  so  sincere, 
so  consistent,  that  it  was  soon  understood;  and  once  learned  it 
was  always  afterwards  found  to  be  the  same. 

In  considering  the  moral  purpose  of  the  noble  life  now 
ended,  we  are  impressed  with  its  unity,  its  comprehensiveness, 
its  unselfishness,  and  its  loftiness.  Professor  Ellis  was  fortu- 
nate in  early  finding  the  place  and  sphere  of  his  life  work.  For 
fifty-four  years  he  was  a  citizen  of  Oberlin;  for  thirty-six  years 
he  was  a  professor  in  the  College,  during  which  long  time  he 
was  but  two  terms  absent  from  his  post. 

He  grasped  with  peculiar  firmness  the  great  thought  of  the 
founders  of  Oberlin — a  Christian  community  holding  in  its 
bosom  a  Christian  school — and  to  the  realization  of  that  idea  his 
life  was  devoted.  A  man  of  unusual  activity,  industry,  and  ef- 
ficiency, he  labored  from  early  morning  until  late  at  night,  in 
term  time  and  in  vacation,  with  but  one  thought — the  prosper- 
ity of  village  and  College. 

There  was  nothing  narrow  in  this  concentration;  for  the  pur- 
pose was  most  comprehensive.  There  was  no  local  pride  or 
prejudice.  He  valued  Oberlin  not  as  a  local  enterprise,  but  for 
what  it  could  do  for  the  world.  His  supreme  regard  was  for 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  all  its  breadth.  Nor  was  he  especially 
interested  in  any  single  aspect  of  the  work.  Every  need  of  the 
community  and  institution  engaged  his  attention.  Progress  in 
every  line, — sanitary,  social,  musical,  political,  educational,  the- 
ological, religious, — he  equally  strove  to  promote. 

The  unselfishness  of  his  life  was  most  remarkable.  There 
are  different  degrees  of  unselfishness.  There  are  good  men  who 
are  willing  to  devote  themselves  to  a  great  cause  if  they  may 
choose  the  part  of  the  work  that  suits  them.  Professor  Ellis 
had  no  choice;  all  that  he  asked  to  know  was  that  the  service 
was  needed.  It  might  be  to  oversee  the  repair  of  a  leaking  roof, 
or  of  a  walk  across  the  campus;  it  might  be  the  erection  of  a 
building,  the  care  of  the  College  investments,  the  appointment 


of  a  new  professor,  a  public  address,  a  sermon,  the  instruction  of 
a  class  in  Greek  or  Philosophy.  It  might  be  to  admonish  a  way- 
ward student,  to  visit  the  sick,  or  to  conduct  a  village  funeral. 
Wherever  practical  sense  and  a  great  Christian  heart  were  re- 
quired, he  was  ready  for  the  task. 

He  never  thought  of  the  gratification  of  his  own  literary 
taste,  or  the  making  of  a  reputation,  or  the  accumulation  even  of 
a  competence.  It  never  occurred  to  him  to  ask  whether  he  had 
not  worked  as  many  hours  as  he  was  paid  for.  After  all  these 
years  of  unremitting  toil,  he  died  a  poor  man.  The  frugal  sup- 
port of  his  family  was  all  the  earthly  reward  he  had  ever  contem- 
plated. 

No  life  can  have  a  loftier  purpose  than  this  one  had.  It 
was  to  do  the  utmost  for  others.  Here  was  a  genial  sympathy 
that  took  in  every  person  and  every  interest  of  this  whole  com- 
munity. Professor  Ellis  was  peculiarly  a  man  of  the  people. 
No  consciousness  of  professorial  dignity  lifted  him  away  from 
his  neighbors.  He  was  a  "great  commoner."  And  he  was 
equally  near  to  the  students.  No  member  of  the  Faculty  knew 
so  well  just  how  the  boys  felt.  He  was  interested  not  in  the 
cause  of  learning  in  the  abstract,  but  in  developing  Christian 
character  in  the  living  men  and  women  around  him  and  through- 
out the  world.  A  great  man  is  always  greater  than  any  one  of 
his  actions.  The  greatest  service  Professor  Ellis  has  rendered  to 
Oberlin  has  been  in  letting  us  all  see  the  sublime  unity  and  un- 
selfishness of  his  life.  He  has  been  a  living  example  of  the  type 
of  character  which  this  community  was  founded  to  produce. 

Dear  friends  of  the  village  and  College,  shall  we  not  to-day, 
looking  for  the  last  time  upon  this  beloved  face,  mutually  pledge 
ourselves  to  live  more  devotedly  for  this  same  high  purpose? 
Shall  not  the  spirit  of  Professor  Ellis  live  in  a  multitude  of  lives 
here  and  shine  out  from  a  multitude  of  faces  in  all  the  years  to 
come? 

DR.  TENNEY  spoke  of  the  relation  of  Professor  Ellis  to  the 
Second  Church: — 


The  death  of  Professor  Ellis  comes  as  a  severe  personal 
bereavement,  in  which  our  tears  flow  in  sorrowing  sympathy 
with  his  immediate  family. 

His  connection  with  the  Second  Church  dates  from  its  or- 
ganization. During  more  than  half  of  the  thirty-four  years  of 
its  history  it  has  been  served  in  the  pastoral  office  by  professors 
in  the  College,  and  of  this  service  Professor  Ellis  has  borne  a 
large  part.  And  more  fully  than  any  of  its  installed  pastors  he 
has  entered  into  the  details  of  its  varied  life  and  work.  When 
not  officially  an  acting  pastor,  he  has  been  more  to  its  pastors 
than  a  pastor's  assistant  could  be.  Everything  that  has  been  of 
interest  to  the  Church  has  been  of  interest  to  him.  Into  the 
erection  of  this  house  of  worship  his  thought  and  effort  largely 
entered.  Always,  in  stated  supply,  in  occasional  services,  and  in 
pastoral  vacations,  his  pulpit  ministrations  have  been  abundant, 
instructive,  and  spiritually  quickening  and  inspiring.  Rarely  has 
his  place  been  vacant  in  the  prayer  circle,  and  seldom  have  we 
missed  his  voice  in  counsel  and  in  prayer.  In  the  business  of  the 
Church  and  in  pleading  for  its  benevolences,  he  has  been  our 
natural  spokesman  and  our  representative  in  the  meetings  of  the 
conferences  of  the  churches. 

No  one  has  entered  more  cordially  and  sympathetically  into 
the  family  life  of  our  members,  and  no  one  has  been  more  heart- 
ily welcomed  in  our  homes.  In  times  of  sorrow,  and  on  funeral 
occasions,  it  has  been  to  Professor  Ellis  that  we  have  naturally 
turned.  Had  the  service  of  his  life  been  limited  to  the  work 
which  he  has  wrought  in  connection  with  the  Second  Church,  it 
would  have  been  a  noble  life  work. 

After  the  chorus,  "  Happy  and  blest,"  from  the  oratorio- 
St.  Paul,  was  sung  by  the  choir,  PROFESSOR  G.  FREDERICK 
WRIGHT  spoke  of  the  relation  of  Professor  Ellis  to  the  com- 
munity. He  said  in  substance: — 

The  intimate  relations  in  Oberlin  of  the  College  and  the 
community  are  of  priceless  value  to  all-concerned.  No  small  part 
of  the  practical  efficiency  of  the  education  here  given,  depends 


H 

upon  the  harmony  and  closeness  of  these  relations.  The  dis- 
tribution of  our  students  in  households  loyal  to  the  College, 
scattered  throughout  the  whole  village,  prevents  much  of  that 
separation  from  ordinary  society  which  is  the  great  bane  of  uni- 
versity life. 

While  the  whole  organization  of  the  College  and  colony  in 
Oberlin  has  favored  the  intimate  and  harmonious  relations  of 
the  two,  the  results  attained  have  not  been  secured  merely  by 
the  existence  of  propitious  circumstances,  but  largely  through 
the  capacity  and  character  of  the  persons  entering  into  the  part- 
nership. Probably  all  would  be  united  in  saying,  that,  through- 
out the  last  thirty  years,  Professor  Ellis,  more  than  anyone  else, 
has  combined  in  himself  the  qualities  which  have  both  promoted 
and  represented  the  totality  of  Oberlin  interests. 

The  record  of  his  unrequited  work  in  promoting  the  general 
welfare  of  the  community  would  fill  a  volume,  and  be  an  object 
lesson  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  theoretical  students  of  social 
science,  illustrating  to  them  the  fact  that  the  highest  interests  of 
society  are  promoted  not  so  much  by  the  forms  of  the  social 
organization,  as  by  the  wisdom  and  the  unselfish  devotion  of  its 
members. 

Time  after  time  in  the  years  of  darkness  and  conflict,  during 
the  civil  war,  it  was  Professor  Ellis'  duty  and  privilege  as 
chairman  of  the  local  committee  to  secure  volunteers,  to  protect 
Oberlin  from  the  draft.  Through  his  efficient  service,  money 
was  raised  for  bounties  in  sufficient  quantity  to  secure  the  filling 
of  Oberlin's  quota  by  voluntary  enlistments,  and  his  sympathy 
and  interest  followed  the  soldiers  everywhere,  from  beginning  to 
end.  He  visited  them  in  their  lonely  camps,  and  cheered  them 
by  his  commanding  presence  and  his  words  of  sympathy  and 
encouragement. 

In  conclusion,  we  have  but  to  say  that  the  commanding 
form  of.  Professor  Ellis  was  a  true  index  of  the  commanding 
ability  which  was  so  generally  recognized  by  every  interest  in 
our  community,  and  by  the  whole  Oberlin  constituency.  We 


follow  him  to  the  grave  with  a  depressing  sense  of  a  loss  which 
cannot  easily  be  replaced. 

PRESIDENT  FAIRCHILD  spoke  as  follows:— 

My  friends,  you  will  not  expect  many  words  from  me  to- 
day. I  would  prefer  to  sit  in  silence  with  the  mourners.  But 
I  cannot  permit  the  form  of  our  friend  to  be  buried  from  our 
sight  without  bringing  my  personal  tribute  of  grateful  remem- 
brance. 

Professor  Ellis  came  to  Oberlin,a  child  in  his  father's  fam- 
ily, nine  years  of  age,  in  1840.  I  was  then  a  student  in  the- 
ology. Our  acquaintance  began  early,  and  has  become  more  in- 
timate, with  every  passing  year,  through  the  fifty  years.  It  was 
not  mainly  a  friendship  of  sentiment,  although  it  could  not  be 
entirely  lacking  in  this  element;  but  rather  a  friendship  of  sym- 
pathy and  co-operation  in  a  common  work. 

In  1858,  after  having  completed  the  course  in  College  and 
in  the  Seminary,  and  having  taught  three  years  as  Professor  of 
Languages  in  a  Southern  college,  he  was  elected  Professor  of 
Greek  at  Oberlin;  and  from  that  day  to  this,  we  have  been  in- 
timately associated  in  all  the  work  and  business  affairs  of  the 
College.  I  was  not  President  until  some  years  later,  but  many 
matters  of  administration  fell  to  me  as  chairman  of  the  Faculty, 
and  I  soon  found  in  Professor  Ellis  such  an  adviser  and  helper 
as  I  needed.  From  the  beginning  of  his  official  connection  with 
the  College,  he  took  its  interests  on  his  heart,  and  never  laid 
them  off  until  he  laid  off  all  earthly  care.  It  was  never  with  him 
a  question  of  its  bearing  upon  his  personal  interest  or  advan- 
tage. There  was  a  great  work  to  be  done,  and  if  he  could  do  it, 
it  was  his  to  do.  He  was  a  self-forgetful  worker.  We  have  had 
many  such  at  Oberlin;  no  such  enterprise  was  ever  carried  on 
without  them.  Professor  Ellis  has  been  prominent  among  them 
all.  It  was  natural  for  him  to  lead,  but  he  led  in  work,  not 
merely  in  setting  others  to  work.  He  was  early  appointed  on 
the  Prudential  Committee,  and  from  that  time  on  became  famil- 
iar with  all  the  business  affairs  of  the  College.  The  time  and 


i6 

strength  and  wisdom  which  he  has  given  to  these  affairs  have 
beeyi  an  essential  contribution  to  the  prosperity  which  has  at- 
tended the  work.  Not  an  important  movement  has  been  made 
whfch  has  not  had  the  benefit  of  his  clear  discernment,  and  his 
effective  executive  force.  He  was  good  to  plan  and  equally 
good  to  perform.  We  often  had  to  say  to  him  as  Pharaoh  said 
to  Joseph,  "Since  the  Lord  hath  shown  thee  all  this,  there  is 
none  so  good  to  execute  the  plan  as  thou  art."  He  never  de- 
clined such  service  to  save  himself  from  burdensome  work.  That 
it  needed  to  be  done,  was  sufficient  for  him,  whether  it  was  the 
location  of  a  sewer,  or  the  repairing  of  a  roof;  the  collection  of 
funds  for  completing  Council  Hall,  or  for  the  endowment  of  a 
professorship.  His  varied  natural  gifts,  and  his  earlier  and 
later  training,  qualified  him  for  all  these  duties.  One  who  has 
carefully  traced  the  outward  changes  of  the  last  thirty  years  and 
more,  can  see  in  every  walk,  in  every  building,  traces  of  his  work 
and  thought. 

But  the  life  and  strength  of  Professor  Ellis  have  not  been 
chiefly  occupied  with  these  outward  material  things.  These 
have  been  but  incidents,  mere  symbols  of  what  was  more  real 
to  him,  though  invisible.  As  a  teacher,  he  has  impressed  his 
thought  and  life  upon  the  hundreds  who  have  come  under  his 
forming  hand.  The  intellectual  and  moral  force  of  his  charac- 
ter and  life  have  entered  largely  into  the  tide  of  helpful  influ- 
ence which  has  been  sustained  here  in  the  College  and  the  com- 
munity through  all  the  years,  which  has  lifted  and  borne  on  to 
a  higher  plane  of  life  and  service  the  thousands  that  have  sought 
their  education  here.  In  this  great  work  he  has  not  stood  alone. 
No  one  can  accomplish  such  a  work  alone,  but  we  are  permit- 
ted to  assign  to  him  to-day  a  large  undivided  share  in  the  grand 
result.  He  never  claimed  much  for  himself.  He  had  a  gener- 
ous appreciation  of  the  work  of  his  associates,  and  was  content 
to  be  one  among  them.  I  do  not  think  that  any  unkind  or  un- 
generous criticism  of  his  co-workers  ever  fell  from  his  lips.  He 


rejoiced  in  the  good  work  they  were  able  to  do,  and  gave  it  a 
generous  appreciation. 

In  a  work  so  varied  and  extended  as  he  has  accomplished, 
it  is  difficult  to  analyze  and  discriminate  the  various  forms  of 
helpfulness;  but  I  cannot  forbear  to  mention  his  contribution  to 
the  work  of  clear  thinking  and  lucid  statement  of  truth  at  Ober- 
lin,  in  which  the  fathers  gave  us  the  lead,  and  which  has  been 
continued  with  more  or  less  of  success  to  our  day.  Professor 
Ellis  has  not  left  us  any  permanent  and  visible  record  in  the  form 
of  books.  Perhaps  if  ten  years  more  had  been  added  to  his 
life,  the  book  might  have  appeared.  But  this  is  scarcely  a  serious 
matter.  Books  are  easily  neglected  and  forgotten;  but  the  im- 
pressions made  upon  a  living  soul  have  a  permanency  and  vital 
power  which  no  skill  of  the  printer  can  impart.  In  this  form 
and  with  this  power,  his  work  will  remain  and  extend.  It  would 
not  be  difficult,  if  this  were  the  time  and  place,  to  specify  some 
of  the  contributions  which  he  has  made  to  the  common  treasure 
of  Oberlin  thought  and  teaching.  But  we  have  these  treasures 
in  possession,  and  they  will  be  transmitted  and  diffused  though 
all  men  forget  out  of  whose  store-house  they  came. 

A  large  vacancy  is  left  among  us  by  Professor  Ellis'  depar- 
'  ture,  and  this  will  not  be  filled.  We  shall  miss  his  stately  form 
as  the  years  come  on.  We  shall  sometimes  wish  that  he  were 
here  to  continue  or  complete  his  work.  No  one  can  take  his 
place;  others  will  come  in  their  own  places  and  do  their  work, 
not  his,  and  the  building  will  go  forward  under  the  eye  and  hand 
of  the  great  Master-builder,  whose  we  are  and  whom  we  serve. 

After  President  Fairchild's  remarks,  prayer,  was  offered  by 
Dr.  Brand,  and  an  opportunity  was  given  to  look  once  more  on 
the  face  of  our  beloved  friend,  after  which  the  casket  was  re- 
moved to  its  final  resting  place,  in  Westvvood. 


i8 

JOHN  MILLOTT  ELLIS. 

When  Nature  planned  this  man  she  said  of  him, 
"  Be  his  the  kindly  heart,  the  beaming  eye, 
The  ear  to  hear,  to  heed  the  humblest  cry — 
The  fate  to  toil  in  lowliest  ways  and  dim; 

To  be  no  slave  to  mean  caprice  or  whim, 

To  walk  serene  enwrapt  in  thoughts  that  lie 
Within  the  depths  of  God's  unfathomed  sky, 
Finding  his  life  enclosed  in  duty's  rim." 

Obedience  his — true  child  of  Oberlin  ! 

When  this  behest  into  his  soul  was  borne, 

No  doubt  e'er  dwelt  that  patient  heart  within; 
Nor  was  his  life  thereby  of  gladness  shorn, 

But  filled  with  peace  amid  life's  hurrying  din. 

Such  was  thy  son— mourn,  Alma  Mater,  mourn  ! 

— Ellen  Bartlett  Currier. 


RESOLUTIONS   ADOPTED    BY   THE    FACULTY,  APRIL    23,   1894. 

Whereas,  God  in  his  providence  has  removed  from  his 
earthly  sphere,  after  many  years  of  devoted  and  successful  labor, 
our  honored  and  beloved  associate,  John  Millott  Ellis,  we  bow 
in  reverent  submission  to  his  will,  and,  while  mourning  the  loss, 
gratefully  acknowledge  the  noble  results  which  have  been  ac- 
complished by  the  life  and  labors  of  our  brother.  We  desire  to 
put  on  record  our  high  appreciation  of  his  marked  executive 
ability,  of  his  symmetrical  development  of  mind  and  character, 
of  his  unselfish  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  church  of  Christ, 
and  especially  of  Oberlin  College  and  community,  of  his  un- 
wearied attention  to  the  welfare  of  the  great  number  of  students 
who  have  come  under  his  care,  and  of  the  heroism  with  which 
he  has  endured  the  trials  of  life  and  met  the  ordeal  of  death. 
Therefore, 

Resolved,  that  we  extend  to  his  family  and  immediate  rel- 
atives our  heartfelt  sympathy,  and  that,  with  the  great  number 
of  his  pupils  and  friends  scattered  over  the  world,  we  unite  in 
the  prayer  that  the  mantle  of  our  departed  friend  may  fall  on 


T9 

those  of  us  who  remain,  enabling  us  to  take  up  successfully  the 

work  which  he  has  now  laid  down. 

FENELON  B.  RICE, 
G.  FREDERICK  WRIGHT, 
WILLIAM  B.  CHAMBERLAIN, 
MRS.  A.  A.  F.  JOHNSTON, 
A.  A.  WRIGHT, 

Committee* 
RESOLUTIONS   ADOPTED    BY   THE   THEOLOGICAL   ALUMNI, 

MAY    10,    1894. 

In  connection  with  this  annual,  gathering,  the  absence  of 
our  friend  and  brother,  Professor  John  M.  Ellis,  brings  to  us  all 
a  sense  of  loss  which  demands  expression.  During  the  thirty- 
seven  years  of  his  membership  in  this  Association,  his  unfailing 
presence  at  our  annual  meetings  and  his  helpful  counsels  and 
suggestions  have  contributed  greatly  to  the  interest  and  effective- 
ness of  our  work.  Although  his  strength  was  given  more  di- 
rectly to  another  department  of  the  College  work,  yet  all  the 
interests  of  the  Seminary  rested  upon  his  heart,  almost  as  if  he 
had  been  one  of  its  professors.  Himself  an  able  and  effective 
preacher,  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  seemed  to  him  the  great 
work,  and  the  training  of  young  men  for  such  service,  of  supreme 
importance.  Theological  thought  and  study  never  ceased  to  be 
attractive  to  him,  and  his -strong  common  sense  and  clear  philo- 
sophical discernment  have  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  com- 
pleter  statement  of  the  Oberlin  Theology. 

While  we  keenly  feel  the  loss  of  our  departed  friend,  we 
would  not  fail  to  express  our  gratitude  to  God  for  the  gift  to  the 
Oberlin  work,  during  these  many  years,  of  a  life  so  full  of  help- 
ful service. 

To  Mrs.  Ellis  and  the  bereaved  family  we  tender  our  Chris- 
tian sympathy  and  love. 

JAMES  H.  FAIRCHILD, 
G.  FREDERICK  WRIGHT, 
HOLLAND  B.  FRY, 

Committee.. 


RESOLUTIONS  ADOPTED  BY  THE  OBERLIN  ALUMNI  ASSOCIATION 

OF  WESTERN  PENNSYLVANIA  AT  PITTSBURG,  PA., 

APRIL  28,   1894. 

The  Oberlin  Alumni  Association  of  Western  Pennsylvania 
has  learned  with  deep  regret  of  the  recent  death  of  Professor 
John  M.  Ellis,  and  would  place  on  record  its  sense  of  his  great 
worth  and  of  the  loss  sustained  by  his  decease. 

Its  members  recall  with  unalloyed  pleasure  their  acquaint- 
ance with  him  during  College  days,  in  the  class-room,  in  social 
and  church  life,  and  in  private  intercourse.  They  gladly  bear 
•testimony  to  his  exalted  character  and  bearing  in  all  these  rela- 
tions. 

In  the  class-room  he  was  an  able  ?.nd  inspiring  teacher, 
enthusiastic  and  unbiased  in  his  search  for. truth,  clear  and  fair 
.in  his  expositions  and  his  defence  of  it,  and  greatly  interested  in 
the  successful  attainment  of  it  by  his  pupils. 

In  social  life  he  was  uniformly  courteous  in  his  demeanor, 
and  considerate  of  the  feelings  and  the  welfare  of  all. 

In  church  and  Christian  life,  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  and 
as  a  follower  of  the  Divine  Master,  he  presented  a  noble  illus- 
tration of  loyalty  to  his  Lord,  of  devotion  to  His  teachings,  and 
of  love  to  His  disciples. 

In  private  intercourse  with  his  pupils,  few  teachers  ever 
manifested  more  fully  the  unselfishness  and  large-heartedness  of 
a  generous  and  thoughtful  nature  intent  on  imparting  blessing 
to  others.  His  presence  was  always  stimulating  towards  every- 
thing that  is  lofty  and  good,  and  his  influence  helpful  in  encour- 
aging every  holy  purpose.  We  recognize  now,  as  we  look  back 
upon  the  years  when  his  voice  and  his  commanding  form  were 
familiar  to  us,  how  large  a  part  he  had  in  impressing  upon  us 
his  own  noble  conceptions  of  life  and  truth  and  duty.  We  shall 
cherish  through  our  coming  years  the  inspiring  memory  of  his 
•character  as  teacher,  Christian,  and  friend. 

T.  H.  ROBINSON,  '50. 
ALICE  I.  JONES,  '91. 

Committee. 


RESOLUTIONS    ADOPTED    BY    THE    OBERLIN    COLLEGE    ALUMNI 
ASSOCIATION,   AT   CHICAGO,    ILL.,    MAY    25,    1894. 

Whereas,  on  March  29,  1894,  the  life  of  Professor  John  M. 
Ellis  came  to  an  untimely  end  in  this  city  while  en  route  for 
Oberlin: 

Resolved,  that  we  are  rendered  peculiarly  mindful  of  the 
great  loss  of  our  teacher  and  friend  by  his  sudden  death  in  our 
midst. 

Resolved,  that  we  spread  on  our  records  and  send  to  his 
family  these  minutes  expressive  of  our  sympathy  for  them,  in 
their  bereavement,  and  of  our  recognition  of  his  great  usefulness 
to  the  College. 

As  student,  instructor,  and  professor  he  had  for  more  than 
forty  years  been  connected  with  Oberlin  College.  He  had  ab- 
sorbed and  become  inspired  by  the  spirit  of  the  founders,  and 
did  much  to  preserve  their  ideal  through  all  the  changes  of  time. 

He  exerted  a  vigorous  influence  for  good  in  the  affairs  of 
the  town,  in  the  work  of  the  church,  and  in  every  department  of 
the  College.  He  was  a  public-spirited  man  who  gave  freely  of 
his  time,  his  strength,  his  thought,  and  his  means  for  the  man- 
ifold needs  of  the  grosving  institution.  His  life  was  inseparably 
interwoven  with'  the  history  of  the  College*  and,  so  long  as  it 
continues,  his  memory  will  be  kept  green. 

Resolved,  that  through  his  devotion  to  the  college  of  which 
we  are  members,  we  have  become  the  beneficiaries  of  a  debt 
which  we  can  never  repay  to  him.  But  that  our  return  must  be 
made  to  the  school  which  he  loved  and  to  the  principles  which 
it  teaches. 

We  therefore  here  resolve  that  it  is  the  privilege  of  us  who 
are  spared  to  carry  forward  the  work  to  which  his  life  and  that 
of  his  predecessors  were  so  nobly  given;  that  we  so  improve  our 
privilege  that  they  shall  not  have  sacrificed  in  vain;  and  that  we 
here  anew  devote  ourselves  to  the  promotion  of  that  union  of 
learning  and  labor,  of  plain  living  and  high  thinking,  of  culture, 
patriotism,  and  true  religion  which  they,  and  he,  held  dear. 


22 

RESOLUTIONS,  ADOPTED   BY  THE  MEDINA  CONFERENCE,  AT   ITS 

ANNUAL  MEETING,  OBERLIN-,  APRIL  26,  1894. 
God  in  his  infinite  wisdom  has  removed  from  our  midst 
our  honored  and  beloved  brother,  Professor  J.  M.  Ellis.  We, 
as  members  of  the  Medina  Conference  of  Congregational 
Churches,  desire  to  put  on  record  our  sense  of  personal  loss  and 
bereavement  in  the  death  of  this  brother.  Professor  Ellis  was 
a  valued  and  useful  member  of  this  Conference.  His  interest  in 
the  meetings  of  our  churches  and  all  that  pertained  to  their  wel- 
fare and  upbuilding  was  not  merely  official  and  honorary,  but 
real,  vital,  and  personal.  He  was  uniformly  present  at  our  meet- 
ings and  helpful  in  all  our  counsels.  We  desire  to  extend  to 
this  Second  Church  of  Oberlin,  of  which  he  was  a  most  valued 
member,  and  to  his  bereaved  family,  our  heartfelt  sympathy,  and 
we  join  in  commending  them  to  the  loving  care  of  Him  who 
doeth  all  things  well. 

TRIBUTE   OF   THE    PRESS. 

Professor  John  M.  Ellis,  who  for  thirty-six  years  had  been  a  professor 
in  Oberlin  College,  and  had  lived  in  the  town  from  early  boyhood,  was 
throughout  life  one  of  the  truest  and  most  characteristic  products  of  the 
spirit,  life  and  culture  of  Oberlin  ;  of  the  Oberlin  College  which  can  never 
be  thought  of  apart  from  the  Oberlin  Town.  His  identification  all  these 
years  was  as  perfect  with  the  life  of  the  town  as  with  that  of  the  college. 
With  the  utmost  simplicity  of  motive,  it  was  remarkable  how  many-sided 
were  his  living  interests  ;  and  his  interests  in  any  matter  were  always  of  the 
most  practical,  often  of  the  most  pragmatical,  nature.  He  had  no  cant,  no 
pretense,  no  hobbies,  and  very  few  prejudices.  If  not  accounted  brilliant,  his 
candor  and  fair-mindedness  made  the  action  of  his  mind  not  only  sane  and 
clear,  but  luminous  in  its  perception  and  practical  judgments.  His  depart- 
ment of  instruction  was  that  of  Greek,  and  later  that  of  Philosophy  ;  but  from 
first  to  last  he  was  wholly  devoted  to  Oberlin,  and  to  the  whole  of  Oberlin. 
He  was  indeed  one  of  the  most  wholesome  of  men.  No  life  could  have  a 
nobler  purpose  than  his,  to  do  the  utmost  in  his  power  for  others.  As  Pres- 
ident Ballantine  says  of  him,  the  greatest  service  he  rendered  to  Oberlin  was 
in  letting  all  see  the  sublime  unity  and  unselfishness  of  his  life — a  living  ex- 
ample of  the  type  of  character  which  that  community  was  founded  to  pro- 
duce. As  Professor  G.  F.  Wright  remarked,  for  thirty  years  he  combined  in 
himself  more  perhaps  than  anyone  else  the  qualities  which  both  promoted 
and  represented  the  totality  of  Oberlin  interests.  Xo  students,  says  Professor 


Monroe,  ever  left  his  recitation  room  without  "a  sense  of  encouragement," 
without  feeling  that  they  could  do  something  in  the  world  with  the  powers 
they  had.  And  so,  better  than  a  dozen  lectureships  on  applied  Christianity 
was  the  incessant  instructiveness  of  his  owa  personality  and  life,  so  vigilant 
and  so  instant  in  response  wherever  practical  sagacity  and  a  great  heart  with 
aptitude  for  all  kinds  of  affairs  were  wanted.  In  this  respect,  pertinent  to 
him  would  have  been  the  remark  of  Emerson,  "  I  cannot  hear  your  words 
your  actions  speak  so  loud."  No  amount  of  talk  about  "civics"  and  "soci- 
ology" and  so  on  could  have  had  such  influence  over  the  thousands  of  Ober- 
lin  students  as  the  factual  witness  day  after  day  of  this  man  along  with  his 
like-minded  associates,  matching  the  activities  of  each  day  with  its  own  op- 
portunity. For,  he  was  exactly  the  same  in  the  town-meeting  as  in  the 
class-room  ;  and  as  sure  to  be  at  the  one  as  at  the  other.  When  Mayor  of 
the  town  nobody  thought  of  asking  whether  or  not  he  would  enforce  the  laws. 
As  Chief  of  the  Oberlin  Fire  Department  he  was  an  expert.  And  then,  a 
crowning  grace  of  his  unselfishness,  as  of  all  the  qualities  which  made  his 
scholarship,  his  ministry,  his  citizenship,  was  the  unconsciousness  of  it  all 
which  left  him  "at  leisure  from  himself"  to  go  on  unhindered  in  doing  the 
needed  thing  at  the  right  time. 

And  thus  it  was  that,  both  as  fact  and  continuing  factor,  at  once  as  per- 
sonal resultant  and  in  turn  producing  cause,  according  to  his  measure  and  in 
all  his  relations  to  the  community,  the  college,  the  church,  the  common- 
wealth and  the  country,  Professor  Ellis  notably  illustrated  the  qualities, 
rather  the  combination  and  adjustment  of  qualities,  which  the  peculiar  con- 
ditions and  still  aching  problems  of  modern  society  are  so  anxiously  calling 
for. — Editorial  by  the  Rev.  Simeon  Gilbert,  D.  D.,  in  The  Advance  for 
April  12,  1894. 

One  of  the  original  and  most  honored  members  of  Oberlin's  Faculty  is 
dead.  A  few  months  ago  Professor  Ellis  went  with  his  wife  to  California,  a 
very  sick  man,  but  hopeful.  The  change  did  not  benefit  him,  and  when 
told  there  was  no  hope  of  recovery,  he  desired  to  start  immediately  for  home. 
He  died  in  Chicago  Thursday  morning. 

Professor  Ellis  studied  at  the  College  in  its  infancy;  pursued  the  theo- 
logical course,  graduated  from  it  with  high  honors  and  accepted  a  professor- 
ship of  the  Greek  language.  He  had  been  connected  with  the  College  in 
various  capacities  for  half  a  century,  and  has  discharged  every  duty  devolved 
upon  him  with  ability  and  distinction.  He  was  a  fitting  representative  of 
Oberlin  theology,  and  that  class  of  noble  men  who  built  Oberlin  College  in 
the  wilderness,  from  nothing  to  its  present  high  and  world-wide  reputation. 
Highly  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  whose  good  fortune  it  was  to  know  him 
as  a  teacher,  adviser  or  citizen,  he  will  always  be  remembered  as  a  man  of 
noble  character,  rare  intelligence  and  scholarly  attainments.  As  a  professor 
of  the  dead  languages,  he  will  be  remembered  throughout  the  world.  Pro- 
fessor Ellis  visited  Grand  Rapids  several  times  in  the  interests  of  Oberlin 


24 

College,  and  while  here  called  on  his  former  pupils  and  preached  several 
sermons  in  the  Park  Congregational  Church.  Many  of  our  citizens  will  re- 
member him.  We  testify  our  respect  for  his  memory,  our  admiration  for 
his  virtues,  and  our  belief  in  the  constant  honest  purposes  of  his  life.  That 
his  genial  courtesy  and  quiet  dignity  will  be  long  remembered  among  us, 
and  his  untiring  energy  in  promoting  the  interests  of  his  pupils  be  worthy  of 
emulation  throughout  the  entire  country,  we  have  no  doubt.  We  tender  to 
the  family  of  Professor  Ellis  our  heartfelt  sympathy  in  this  their  sad  afflic- 
tion, still  aware  that  wounded  hearts  cannot  be  healed  by  human  sympathy 
alone.  His  life  work  is  done — but  well  done.  His  crowning  characteristics 
were  those  of  faith  and  Christian  living.  He  lives  in  death. — C.  G.  Swens- 
berg  in  the  Grand  Rapids  (Mich.}  Herald  for  April  8,  1894. 

In  the  death  of  Professor  Ellis,  Oberlin  College  loses  one  of  its  best 
friends;  one  of  its  most  devoted  teachers;  one  of  the  men  who,  putting  the 
work  of  more  than  a  generation  into  it,  has  brought  it  up  to  its  present  com- 
manding position.  None  knew  him  but  to  respect  and  honor  him.  His  ideals 
of  duty  were  lofty.  In  the  service  of  his  Master  he  counted  no  sacrifice  too 
great.  The  writer  of  these  words  will  not  soon  forget  the  work  he  did  among 
the  soldiers  in  the  armies  of  the  Potomac  and  the  James,  and  at  Richmond 
just  after  the  surrender,  nor  the  interest  he  took  in  the  social  questions  which 
even  then  were  just  beginning  to  press  for  a  solution.  He  was  one  of  the 
men  who  believed  in  the  adequacy  of  the  principles  of  the  gospel  for  the 
settlement  of  all  difficulties. —  The  Congregationalist,  April  j,  1894. 

The  sudden  death  at  Chicago  yesterday  of  Professor  J.  M.  Ellis  of  Ober- 
lin College  will  be  felt  as  a  personal  affliction  by  very  many  residents  of 
Cleveland,  who  have  known  and  esteemed  him  as  a  teacher  and  friend  in 
years  that  are  past.  Professor  Ellis  has  been  connected  with  Oberlin  Col- 
lege as  pupil,  tutor  and  professor  nearly  forty  years.  His  life  has  been  de- 
voted to  good  works  and  the  memory  of  his  deeds  and  influence  will  be 
abiding. —  The  Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  March  jo,  1894. 

MESSAGES    OF    SYMPATHY. 

The  following  are  extracts  from  a  few  of  the  many  letters 
received  by  Mrs.  Ellis  from  friends  at  a  distance: — 

CINCINNATI,  April  11,  1894. 

My  affection  and  admiration  for  John  has  never  lessened  from  the  high 
measure  it  had  with  me  when  I  first  knew  him  as  a  classmate  in  1846.  It 
needed  the  intimacy  of  boys  preparing  for  college  to  give  the  truest  idea  of 
his  mental  lucidity  and  easy  grasp  of  every  study  which  made  the  student's 
work  easy  to  him,  and  made  high  rank  in  a  class  seem  so  natural  that  no  one 
wondered  at  it.  So  far  from  seeking  to  show  superior  excellence,  he  had 
from  the  beginning  a  contempt  for  exhibition  that  made  him  rather  hide  his 


25 

power,  under  a  natural  modesty  that  treated  it  as  nothing  but  what  was  a 
matter  of  course,  and  least  of  all  to  be  proud  of.  I  think  those  boyish  esti- 
mates are  the  truest  and  best.  We  knew  him  through  and  through,  and 
consequently  knew  how  honest,  how  pure,  how  unselfish,  how  strong  he  was. 

If  we  all  have  sometimes  wished  he  had  not  so  many  cares  and  so  varied 
duties  thrust  upon  him,  so  that  by  narrowing  his  field  he  might  have  made 
his  great  powers  more  dominant  in  some  single  line  of  thought  and  world- 
teaching,  I  am  sure  his  sense  of  duty  was  a  better  guide,  and  in  doing  what- 
ever the  College  needed  he  has  left  his  impress  more  durably  upon  it  and 
upon  generations  of  students  yet  to  come  than  he  could  have  done  in  any 
other  way. 

Sympathizing  deeply  and  earnestly  with  you  in  your  great  present  grief 
as  I  do,  I  yet  cannot  indulge  in  mere  grief— I  am  led  to  think  of  him  as  of  a 
character  so  high  and  so  safe  in  the  list  of  true  worthies,  that  I  involuntarily 
yield  to  the  impulse  to  admire  rather  than  to  weep — to  thank  God  for  the  life 
he  lived  rather  than  bewail  the  close  of  it.  Is  it  not  a  precious  fruit  of  such 
a  life  that  the  satisfaction  we  all  must  feel  in  its  full  and  rounded  perform- 
ance of  duty  softens  even  our  mourning,  and  gives  a  reality  to  the  immortal 
part  of  him  that  makes  even  his  death  seem  unreal  in  the  comparison  ? 

You  have  the  unspeakable  comfort  of  knowing  all  this  better  than  any 
of  us,  and  we  can  only  help  to  assuage  your  natural  sorrowing  by  reminding 
you  how  much  there  is  in  the  last  thirty  years  to  glory  and  rejoice  in,  and 
how  slight  the  break  will  hereafter  seem  in  a  holy  and  everlasting  comrade- 
ship. 

J.  D.  Cox. 

BOSTON,  April  3,  1804. 

No  one  in  Oberlin  save  President  Fairchild  was  so  intimately  associated 
with  my  life  while  a  member  of  the  Faculty  ;  and  I  can  hardly  think  what 
Oberlin  will  be  without  Professor  Ellis.  The  College,  the  Prudential  Com- 
mittee, the  Alumni,  the  Church,  the  Town,  the  Conference,  Forest  Street ; 

how  he  will  be  missed  in  them  all. 

JUDSON  SMITH. 

MARCH  31,  1894. 

Professor  Ellis  was  so  staunch  and  upright!  He  was  good  to  lean  upon^ 
I  can  never  cease  to  remember  with  keen  gratitude  the  patient  kindness,  and 
the  calm  good  judgment  with  which  he  upheld  me  when  I  was  fainting  under 

the  deepest  trouble  and  perplexity  of  my  life. 

MARTHA  E.  FRENCH. 

CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  April  i,  1894. 
To  Mrs.  J.  M.  Ellis,  Oberlin,  Ohio  : 

DEAR  MADAM:— The  Session  and  members  of  the  Euclid  Avenue  Pres- 
byterian Church  send  to  you  a  message  of  sympathy  in  your  hour  of  trial. 
While  we  have  no  right  to  penetrate  the  inner  sanctuary  of  your  grief,  we 


26 

give  our  prayers  with  your  own  to  the  end  that  holy  and  true  consolation  may 
come  to  you  even  in  this  supreme  sorrow. 

The  ministrations  of  Professor  Ellis  to  this  congregation  during  a  period 
of  transition  and  anxiety  were  helpful  and  most  wise.  He  gave  us  of  that 
wisdom  and  prudence,  of  that  hope  in  the  future,  with  which  God  had  so 
conspicuously  endowed  him,  His  honored  servant.  The  memory  of  our  friend 
is  sacred  within  these  walls  where  his  voice  has  so  often  resounded. 

May  we  not  send  back  to  you  that  passage  of  Holy  Scripture  which  he 
himself  declared  to  one  of  our  members  to  have  been  "especially  helpful" 
to  him — Isaiah  1.  10:  "Who  is  among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obey- 
eth  the  voice  of. his  servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and  hath  no  light?  let 
him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, and  stay  upon  his  God." 
Respectfully, 

JAS.  HANDVSIDE, 

Clerk  of  Session. 

MT.  HOLYOKE  COLLEGE, 
SOUTH  HADLEY,  MASS.,  April  5,  1894. 

There  was  not  the  shadow  of  an  unrighteous  thought  in  him— pure  and 
true,  devoted  to  duty  and  truth;  the  friend  of  everybody,  unselfish  in  deed 
as  in  thought.  Everybody  trusted  and  loved  him.  I  rejoice  that  I  ever  knew 
him,  and  that  my  children  knew  him,  and  felt  the  force  of  his  strong  char- 
acter. 

ELIZABETH  S.  MEAD. 

YORK,  NEB.,  April  5,  1894. 

Professor  Ellis  had  been  our  teacher  and  friend,  and  his  Christ-like  spirit 
endeared  him  to  us  all.  The  great  student  world  will  mourn  his  loss,  and 
Oberlin  College  will  greatly  miss  him  as  a  teacher,  manager,  and  a  Christian 

light. 

E.  H.  BAKER. 

SOUTHOLD,  N.  Y.,  April  15,  1894. 

It  was  such  a  true  and  beautiful  life,  that  there  can  now  be  only  sorrow, 
and  no  sting,  for  those  who  are  left.  And  we  can  bear  sorrow.  It  must  be 
such  a  happy  thought  for  you  that  he  influenced  and  inspired  so  many  lives, 
and  opened  up  to  them  such  new  and  helpful  avenues  of  thought,  that  all 
their  after  life  cannot  but  be  changed  and  bettered  and  broadened. 

LOUISE  C.  POND. 

DENVER,  COLO.,  April  5,  1894. 

I  cannot  but  be  glad  that  my  college  days  came  in  his  time,  and  that 
among  many  precious  memories  I  have  that  of  his  kindly  face  and  cheery 
words. 

KATE  COWAN  JAMES,  '89  O.  C. 


27 

OAK  PARK,  ILL.,  April  i,  1894. 

We  all  remember  with  much  gratitude  your  husband's  devotion  to  each 
of  our  college  interests.  I  enjoyed  especially  my  work  with  him  in  the  Evi- 
dences of  Christianity;  and  it  is  satisfactory  to  recall  how  clear  his  convic- 
tions and  understanding  of  the  great  truths  of  Christianity  always  were. 
Memories  of  his  life  will  strengthen  the  lives  of  many  of  his  students,  I  am 
sure. 

ANGINETTE  B.  HEMINGWAY. 

i 

MINNEAPOLIS,  MINN.,  March  30,  1894. 

A  good  man  has  gone.  He  will  be  greatly  missed.  He  has  done  a  large 
and  useful  work,  and  a  work  which  will  go  on  and  on  without  ceasing. 
Thirty  years  ago  last  fall  I  began  my  acquaintance  with  him,  when,  in  the 
late  fall  of  '63,  I  went  to  Oberlin  carrying  a  letter  of  introduction  to  him. 
He  received  me  cordially,  and  counseled  me  wisely.  We  have  always  been 
good  friends  since,  and  our  friendship  has  grown.  I  often  went  to  him  for 
advice,  and  always  got  good  counsel.  It  would  have  been  better  for  me  had 
I  always  followed  his  advice.  And  I  am  only  one  of  a  great  number  who 
can  and  will  testify  the  same  thing.  Only  God  can  measure  the  good  he  has 
done  in  his  quiet,  unselfish,  wise,  energetic  life  in  Oberlin. 

S.  V.  S.  FISHER. 

ALLEGHENY,  PA.,  April  30,  1894. 

When  I  think  of  him  it  is  not  of  his  position  in  the  College,  of  his  schol- 
arship, or  any  of  his  public  relations. ,  I  did  not  know  him  much  in  these. 
It  is  of  his  large  and  open  heartedness,  the  honesty  and  guilelessness  and 
unselfishness  of  his  nature  I  knew  him  as  a  friend  and  brother.  We  were 
not  in  the  same  class,  and  so  had  not  the  bond  of  classmates.  Our  lives  were 
soon  thrown  apart.  We  seldom  met.  We  were  in  different  churches  and 
each  loved  his  own  church,  so  that  it  has  been  somewhat  contrary  to  cus- 
tom if  not  to  nature,  that  our  friendship  should  live  on.  .  .  .  From  the 
days  when  we  sat  beside  each  other  in  the  choir  and  sang  in  serenades  and  in 
concerts,  we  continued  to  think  of  each  other.  I  shall  hold  him  in  hearty 
memory  for  the  rest  of  my  days.  He  was  the  one  in  Oberlin  that  most 

strongly  drew  me  there. 

T.  H.  ROBINSON. 

ST.  PAUL,  MINN.,  April  17,  1894. 

He  was  a  friend  of  my  boyhood.  I  well  remember  the  day  he  became  a 
Christian  and  the  powerful  influence  his  decision  had  upon  my  conscience. 
He  at  once  became  an  ideal  to  me,  and  for  fifty  years  I  have  drawn  from  his. 
consecrated  and  scholarly  manhood  deeper  inspiration.  It  has  not  been  my 
privilege  to  often  meet  him,  but  my  thoughts  of  Oberlin  have  always  included 

him  as  a  part  of  its  pure  and  exalted  life. 

EDWARD  P.  INGERSOLL. 


28 

LAKE  ERIE  SEMINARY, 
PAINESVILLE,  OHIO,  April  14,  1894. 

The  tributes  from  the  associates  of  Professor  Ellis  are  beautiful  and 
true,  especially  those  words  of  Professor  Monroe:  "A  purpose  so  noble,  a 
self-denial  so  complete,  a  consecration  so  perfect,  a  temper  so  candid  and 
fair,  a  life  so  absolutely  devoted  to  the  work  of  Christ."  And  the  words  of 
Dr.  Fairchild,  coming  straight  from  his  heart  out  of  an  experience  of  fifty 
years.  There  must  have  been  great  comfort  for  you  in  such  words,  and  the 

comfort  will  remain. 

MARY  EVANS. 

REDLANDS,  CAL.,  March  30,  1894. 

I  can  never  forget  the  Professor's  kindness  to  me  in  his  father's  home 
while  I  was  a  student  in  the  Seminary.  He  was  a  constant  helper  and  in- 
spirer  in  that  work.  We  went  to  Oberlin,  strangers,  but  through  him  we 
found  home  and  friends.  And  then  his  brotherly  interest  in  all  these  years 
— his  hearty  welcome  to  his  own  model  home— and  not  the  least  his  kindly 
interest  in  our  children  as  they  went  to  Oberlin,  make  this  event  one  of  pecu- 
liar tenderness  and  sorrow. 

O.  H.  SPOOR. 

GRINNELL,  IOWA,  April  i,  1894. 

The  past  is  rich  in  happy,  honorable  memories;  the  future  radiant  with 
the  hopes  inspired  by  the  faith  he  cherished.  We  can  change  nothing;  in- 
finite love  infinitely  wise  has  done  just  what  is  best. 

L.  F.  PARKER. 

HINSDALE,  MASS.,  April  2,  1894. 

I  have  known  him  long  and  have  loved  him  better  every  year.  Such  a 
clear  head  is  not  always  with  such  a  warm  heart.  Such  manly  independence 
of  thought  does  not  in  most  men  find  it  so  easy  to  co-operate  with  fellow- 
workers. 

J.  H.  LAIRD. 

I 

NEW  YORK,  March  30,  1894. 

New  York  Oberlin  Alumni  offer  warmest  sympathy  and  love  and  mourn 
with  you. 

R.  T.  HALL. 

NEW  YORK,  April  13,  1894. 

DEAR  MRS.  ELLIS: — The  knowledge  of  your  husband's  death  was  first 
received  by  most  of  the  New  York  Alumni  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  New 
York  Association  recently  held.  His  presence  with  us  two  years  ago  was 
still  so  fresh  in  the  recollection  of  most  of  us,  and  the  love  and  reverence 
which  we,  in  common  with  all  those  who  have  learned  from  him,  had  for  him, 
was  so  strong  that  our  hearts  went  out  in  sympathy  for  you  and  your  chil- 


29 

dren  who  have  suffered  such  unspeakable  loss.  It  was  the  unanimous  desire 
of  those  present  to  express  this  sympathy,  and  the  Secretary  was  therefore 
directed  to  convey  such  expression. 

It  is  in  obedience  to  this  expressed  wish  that  I  write  and  tell  you,  what 
you  already  know,  that  we,  his  former  pupils,  feel  that  we  have  suffered  loss 
with  you,  and  grieve  with  you. 

WILLIAM  M.  BENNETT, 

Secretary. 

GRAND  RAPIDS,  MICH.,  April  5,  1894. 

He  was  a  friend  to  me,  and  helped  me  long  before  I  realized  it.  He  was 
a  noble,  stalwart  figure,  toward  whose  dimensions  I  unconsciously  aspired. 
He  was  a  preacher  of  righteousness,  not  only  in  the  pulpit  and  in  the  class- 
room, but  in  his  majestic  character  and  life;  and  long  before  any  of  us  came 
to  know  his  teachings,  we  felt  the  power  and  the  uplift  of  John  Ellis,  and 
this  was  true  not  only  of  me,  but  of  my  brother  Dwight  before  me.  In- 
stinctively we  had  turned  to  this  man  as  one  who  represented  all  that  was 
manly  and  honest  and  noble.  .  .  . 

It  will  be  strange  to  think  of  Oberlin  without  Professor  Ellis.  In  the 
dark  days  of  Oberlin  in  the  '70*5,  when  the  outlook  was  discouraging  and  the 
means  limited,  and  the  buildings  were  shabby,  it  was  the  hearty,  cheerful 
courage  of  Professor  Ellis  that  made  all  happy  in  the  feeling  that  brighter 

days  were  to  come. 

DAN  F.  BRADLEY. 

RIPON  COLLEGE, 
RIPON,  Wis.,  April  9.  1894. 

I  have  always  regarded  Professor  Ellis  as  one  of  the  remarkable  men 
among  the  superior  leaders  at  Oberlin.  His  great  breadth  and  solidity  of 
judgment,  his  genuine  and  wide  charity,  his  Christian  simplicity  and  con- 
stant faith,  made  him  a  man  of  extraordinary  influence  over  all  with  whom 
he  had  any  personal  relations.  Other  leaders  in  Oberlin  may  have  been 
more  brilliant  than  he,  but  on  the  whole  I  doubt  whether  any  of  them  have 
been  more  grandly  intelligent.  An  uncommon,  loving  man.  He  will  be  a 
great  loss  to  Oberlin  College  and  to  the  State  of  Ohio. 

EDWARD  H.  MERRELL. 

NEW  YORK,  April  7,  1894. 

He  was  one  of  God's  noblemen.  His  heart  was  well  adjusted  to  his 
manly  frame.  His  deep  religious  experience,  his  clear  insight  into  God's 
word,  his  tireless  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  Master's  kingdom,  his  un- 
faltering love  for  the  College,  which  owes  so  much  of  its  life  and  growth  to 
him,  his  warm  welcome  to  his  friends,  his  fatherly  affection  for  the  great 
multitude  of  young  people  continually  passing  through  Oberlin  College  and 
Seminary,  give  him  a  very  warm  place  in  a  multitude  of  hearts.  He  will  be 
greatly  missed  in  Oberlin.  If  I  apprehend  rightly,  no  man  has  done  more  to 


3° 

build  up  that  College  than  he.     It  is  the  best  monument  he  or  any  other  man 
could  have  as  a  memorial  of  a  most  faithful  and  devoted  life  service. 

L.  H.  COBB. 

CHICAGO,  March  29,  1894. 

His  strong  positive  character  counted  as  a  force  with  every  one  of  his 
scholars — one  that  they  never  can  forget.  His  prudence  never  spared;  his 
charity  never  wasted.  He  loved  all.  He  helped  all.  We  feel  like  a  great 
host  of  children.  We  feel  as  though  we  had  lost  our  leader. 

MERRITT  STARR. 

MARIETTA  COLLEGE, 
MARIETTA,  OHIO,  April  10,  1894. 

He  was  one  of  my  best  and  closest  friends,  our  friendship  beginning 
while  we  were  classmates  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  Oberlin,  and  con- 
tinued throughout  our  lives. 

When  we  were  together  at  Oberlin  a  mutual  friend,  now  Rev.  Dr.  Mc- 
Kinley,  was  wont  to  say  of  him  ("John  Ellis,"  as  we  all  called  him),  that  he 
was  the  ripest  and  best  fruit  of  Oberlin  culture.  I  was  glad  to  agree  with 
that  judgment.  He  has  done  a  most  useful,  important,  and  honorable  work 
for  education  and  religion  at  Oberlin  and  for  Oberlin.  I  doubt  if  any  man 
has  done  more  than  he  to  make  Oberlin  College  and  Oberlin  village  what 

they  are  to-day. 

N.  J.  MORRISON. 

HARTFORD,  CONN.,  April  3,  1894. 

We  have  not  lost  that  blessed  soul,  that  prince  among  men,  that  friend 
whose  affection  was  so  deep  and  tender.  Even  those  of  us  who  had  him  for 
a  dear  friend  were  unspeakably  rich;  but  how  much  richer  you  and  your 
dear  children,  who  had  him  for  your  very  own.  We  are  all  rich  still,  and  if 
our  hearts  are  heavy,  we  will  let  the  God  of  all  comfort,  who  knows  how  to 
comfort  us  in  all  our  trials,  comfort  us  with  His  peace. 

JOHN  A.  R.  ROGERS. 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  31,  1894. 

Having  known  him  so  long  and  so  well,  and  loved  and  admired  him  so- 
much,  we  cannot  but  feel  that  we  too  are  personally  bereft,  and  that  the 
College,  the  Church,  and  the  world  have  met  with  a  loss  that  cannot  be  filled. 
While  mourning  his  death,  we  can  but  thank  God  for  such  lives,  and  such 
men,  whose  influence  can  never  die.  And  the  good  they  have  done  will  ever 

live. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  C.  H.  BUXTON. 

CHICAGO,  April  2,  1894. 

More  than  once  when  I  was  in  need  of  help,  he  gave  it  to  me  as  no  one 
else  could  have  done.  Hundreds  will  write  or  think  just  such  words. 

ELIZABETH  K.  CLARK. 


31 

NEW  YORK,  March  30,  1894. 

His  life  and  character  will  ever  be  a  bright  and  beautiful  thing  in  our 
memory,  and  his  loving  friendship  one  of  the  most  precious  possessions  that 
has  ever  come  into  our  lives. 

WILLIAM  KINCAID. 

ROME,  ITALY,  April  21,   1894. 

I  feel  very  thankful  that  I  had  the  privilege  of  studying  under  Professor 
Ellis  and  knowing  him  as  a  friend,  and  I  hope  I  may  never  fall  below  the 
ideals  which  he  taught  me,  not  so  much  by  word  as  by  his  life.  I  think  of 
him  now  as  I  used  so  often  to  see  him  in  chapel  offer  his  chair  to  some  be- 
lated young  lady.  It  was  an  act  of  thoughtfulness  and  gallantry,  a  little 
thing  to  speak  of,  perhaps,  but  it  was  just  one  of  the  many  things  which  made 
him  so  loved  by  his  students.  Many  young  men  in  New  York  have  told  me, 
since  I  graduated,  that  after  they  left  college,  the  Professor  who  remained  in 
their  memories  as  the  most  esteemed  and  as  having  most  influenced  their 
lives  for  good,  was  Professor  Ellis.  This  is  my  testimony  too. 

AGNES  E.  WARNER. 

DENVER,  COLO.,  April  28,  1894. 

Professor  Ellis'  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  Oberlin  people  and  students 
was  indeed  a  large  one.  How  much  dear  President  Fairchild  will  miss  him! 
He  was  so  close  to  him  and  in  sympathy  with  him.  We  remember  with 
great  pleasure  our  meeting  him  abroad  and  the  kindly  attention  and  service 
he  rendered  us.  He  was  the  noble  Christian  gentleman,  that  we  sometimes 
fail  to  find  in  all  places.  But  we  cannot  doubt  that  through  his  unselfish  ex- 
ample others  have  been  won  to  the  better  life,  and  his  influence  will  never 
cease  to  exist. 

IONE  M.  HANNA. 

FRIEDENAU  BEI  BERLIN,  April  17,  1894. 

I  can  hardly  make  it  seem  at  all  possible  that  Professor  Ellis  is  really 
gone  from  among  us.  I  had  come  so  to  revere  and  love  him  that  it  seems  to 
me  in  an  unusual  degree  a  personal  loss.  Not  many  men  could  have  proved 
so  considerate  as  he,  in  the  position  of  an  older  associate  in  a  department. 
His  kindness  and  ready  co-operation  have  been  constant.  I  can  never  forget 
his  high  and  unselfish  spirit.  I  have  never  known  him  to  fail  to  respond 
sympathetically  to  any  high  appeal  in  any  thing.  No  other  vacancy  has 

meant  to  me  what  this  means. 

HENRY  C.  KING. 

HONOLULU,  April  18,  1894. 
I  enjoyed  his  sermons  as  much  or  more  than  those  of  any  one  else  in 

Oberlin.     His  death  was  a  great  shock  to  me. 

MARY  CASTLE. 


32 

ROLLINS  COLLEGE, 

WINTER  PARK,  FLORIDA,  April  2,  1894. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  my  heart  aches  for  you.  Nor  can  I  tell  you  how 
much  I  have  learned  to  love  and  respect  Professor  Ellis.  In  more  than  one 
place  of  most  unusual  stress  he  bore  himself  so  nobly,  so  bravely,  so  unsel- 
fishly. Such  a  life  is  a  permanent  possession  for  us  all.  Death  cannot  touch  it. 

CHARLES  G.  FAIRCHILD. 

PACIFIC  GROVE,  CAL.,  March  30,  1894. 

He  was  an  Oberlin  man.  He  never  knew  how  to  spare  himself.  He  saw 
duty  only  to  do  it.  We  all  hoped  that  his  life  might  be  prolonged  for  other 
years  of  work  and  counsel  and,  not  least,  for  further  companionship  with  our 
dear  old  President;  but  we  have  many  compensating  thoughts  of  the  good 
man  and  all  he  has  been  to  the  College  and  the  church  and  the  town  and  the 
state  and  the  world, — and  to  his  friends,  his  children,  and  to  you. 

We  can  only  say,  as  President  Fairchild  has  said  to  us  so  often  and  taught 
us  to  believe,  "Our  Father  makes  no  mistakes." 

MR.  AND  MRS.  EDWIN  SIDNEY  WILLIAMS. 

Los  ANGELES,  CAL.,  April  3,  1894. 

It  is  very  pleasant  to  think  of  him  in  our  home,  lying  upon  the  lounge  or 
sitting  by  the  window  in  the  sunshine.  He  was  so  quiet  and  patient,  so  little 
trouble,  and  so  interested  in  our  conversation  about  old  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances, although  he  was  so  ill.  But  best  of  all,  he  was  so  perfectly  re- 
signed to  all  that  was  before  him,  whether  it  was  life  or  death,  and  when  he 
learned  that  it  was  surely  death,  so  calm  and  undisturbed.  It  was  wonderful. 
His  presence  here  was  like  a  benediction  upon  our  home. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  HENDERSON  JUDD. 

REDLANDS,  CAL.,  March  31,  1894. 

I  cannot  tell  you  what  sacred  joy  will  ever  be  the  memory  of  the  days 
and  hours  given  us  to  minister  to  his  comfort  and  happiness  while  under  our 
roof  here.  His  presence  was  a  constant  blessing  and  benediction  for  which 
we  shall  always  be  profoundly  thankful. 

SAMUEL  F.  COOPER. 


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